Standing at the top of the cruise ship and peering down at the hills and ships surrounding the open water of Vietnam, sophomore Tiffany Quach realized how lucky she is to be able to gain new experiences and travel the world with her family.
“I’m definitely more grateful because obviously, I’m more aware of my surroundings,” Quach said.
“Just being there and just taking in everything and realizing that I’m actually able to go (to) travel country to country is really cool.”
Throughout her life, her travels have taken a deeper meaning. Now, she sees them as a chance to connect with her family’s roots, gain a better understanding of different cultures and challenge herself to be more outgoing and brave.
Quach has been traveling annually to Southeast Asian countries like Vietnam, Thailand and Malaysia with her family since she was 6 months old. Her trips are filled with memories like holding a baby tiger in Thailand and exploring fascinating landscapes like the Ba Na hills in Vietnam.
These journeys began so early because Quach’s parents believed in providing their children with varied perspectives and experiences, alongside their love for experiencing diverse cultures and their passion for trying new food.
“Being able to experience all the cultures (drove my parents to start traveling), and they’re big foodies, (so) eating all the food around the world (played a part too),” Quach said.
While her parents laid the foundation for their travel tradition, Quach has developed her deeper meaning behind each journey.
For Quach, traveling is fundamentally about two core elements: connection and learning.
It’s a personal journey of reconnecting with her family roots, particularly in Vietnam, where most of her relatives live and where she can see them once a year.
Beyond family ties, traveling represents an immersive learning experience that can’t be replicated. Being there offers a deeper understanding of local life that photos can’t imitate.
Engrossing in the locals’ day-to-day lifestyle offers a deeper understanding of their culture and ways of living.
“Just being there in person really helps you learn about people’s culture and how they live in those countries,” Quach said.
Because of her journeys, Quach gained an understanding that there is no space for ignorance when traveling. She realized that what she sees in the U.S. at SHS is different from reality.
When traveling to Malaysia, she thought the people and culture would be like what she saw in the U.S., but when she went for herself, she found an unexpected blend of traditions and ethnicities and was shocked to see Chinese culture, which changed her perception.
“Going to different countries has made my opinions more open-minded because there are so many cultures within every country,” Quach said. “By being able to experience all these different cultures, I am able to understand more about me.”
Alongside gaining new insights she learned to become more easygoing when it comes to discovering new things.
One memorable moment was during a banana boat ride in Thailand. Unfamiliar with this activity, Quach was initially hesitant to participate. However, with the encouragement of her mom and sister, she let go of her fear.
The ride flipped over and submerged the three in the water. While it was quite traumatizing at the time, it has since become a funny story they all joke about.
Christina Quach, Tiffany’s sister, accompanies Quach on the trips and realizes how much traveling has changed her.
She saw traveling allowed her to become outgoing and outgrow her shyness.
“I think it made her truly love her own culture, but it also makes her more outgoing too,” Christina said. “I think that she is sometimes shy to try new things, but seeing different parts of the world has made her more interested in different cultures and trying new things.”
This growth hasn’t gone unnoticed by Quach herself. Traveling taught Quach how to be more self-aware and become grateful for this blessing she had growing up.
Realizing she has a privilege that not many people have makes her cherish these memories, and she makes sure to take pictures to look back at the adventures she partakes in every year.
Looking ahead her next trip is going to be to Vietnam, and from there, the Quach family decides what country they want to branch off and explore. Quach hopes to be able to continue this tradition with her family. She believes it makes traveling more enjoyable and strengthens family bonds. Her dream destination is somewhere tropical like the Bahamas due to her love for beaches.
“Even as I continue to progress and live alone without my parents, I hope to create a life (in which) I’m excited to wake up to work hard for myself to be able to provide the same trips (for) myself that my parents did for me,” Quach said.
